So is Wal-Mart Gun Friendly, or is it not?

This is a discussion on So is Wal-Mart Gun Friendly, or is it not? within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Originally Posted by mkh
I always carry at Wal-Mart.
Personally I think anyone who doesn't carry at Wal-Mart is either stupid or has a death ...

Overall I do believe that Wal Mart IS gun friendly. I carry in all of them I go to...heck...I carry and I carry all of the time. I have open carried at the Wal Mart super centers in Lawrence and Ft Scott, KS. So long as Wal Mart continues to sell ammo....they ought to be as gun friendly as you can get in my opinion. The day somebody has a stupid discharge carrying in one of their stores.....things might change. That's just the way things are.......somebody is always ready to ruin things for the rest of us responsible folks. Until that day happens (and it will no doubt).......carry whenever and wherever you can.

About a month ago, a relative of mine was in the Wal-Mart in
Fairlawn. He was doing some shopping while open carrying his weapon.
After being in the store for a little while, he was confronted by the
assistant store manager, Jim Hancock, who told him that he was
breaking the law by carrying his firearm, and asked him to remove it
in the store and let him take it. When my relative said no, the
manager told him that he could either go with him to the office and
'straighten this out' or be prosecuted.

He said, 'OK,' not knowing what he was going to be prosecuted for.

When they got to the back of the store, the assistant manager then
called the Pulaski Sheriff's Department and put the deputy on speaker
phone and asked what my relative could be charged with. When the
deputy told him that there was no law being broken, he then hung up
and started telling my relative that 'things were going to change
when the next president was elected...and people like my relative
were going to lose their rights to carry weapons.'

When my relative wanted to leave, he was told that he had to write a
report. After the report was written and signed, he then told him to
leave the property. There were witnesses to this. After I talked with
******* about this, he called and talked with the store manager
who told him that her store employees would 'be educated' and that
they weren't to bother anyone carrying a weapon in the store.

Well, last night (August 28, 2007) I was in the same store to
purchase some ammo for a CCW class that I was teaching. I was in the
store with a friend of mine. We walked straight from the front door
to the sporting goods department (open carrying). After standing at
the counter with no help for a few minutes we were confronted by the
SAME assistant manager and another employee.

Mr. Hancock told us that we were not welcome in the store while
carrying a weapon and he wanted us OFF THE PROPERTY NOW. I asked him
if this was store policy or his policy. He said it didn't matter, and
that if we did not leave, we would be charged with trespassing.

We turned to walk out of the store and Mr. Hancock followed us on our
heels all the way out. I stopped at one point to ask him why he was
following us. After we left I made a call to the district supervisor,
Terry Sartain, and left a message at his office because it was after
hours. I spoke with Mr. Sartain this morning and he told me that the
local managers and he were working on a new firearms policy.

He said that they had cleared it with the home office and the legal
department and that they were OK to change the policy in his store to
NO FIREARMS...NO CONCEALED OR OPEN CARRY!! He said that the signs
were being printed and would be posted in a couple of days.

The stores affected by this change are Fairlawn, Christiansburg, and
Salem, with Roanoke stores to follow. So, it looks like Wal-Mart is
falling. What do we do about this, or is there anything that we can
do?

(Update: I just spoke with someone at corporate and was told by them
that the new Wal-Mart corporate policy on firearms is to let district
managers decide on the firearms policy for their stores. It is in
their hands and out of corporate.)

--

I will let everyone know when the signs get posted (if they get
posted). There are many different ways we may choose to respond, I
will let you know what we suggest in a future update.

**

VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL).

VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

FWIIW, I, also, shop at that same store from time to time and to date (nearly five years later) no sign has been posted. There was a sign in the Salem store. However, it has been removed, when I was there a couple years ago.

Since I received my CHL I have been attentive to prohibition signs on various business entrances. Here in Texas, a "legal" sign is supposed to meet three requirements. Posted in both English and Spanish, block letters, and with letters at least one inch high. So that makes for a fairly moderate sized sign.Looking at the entrance to Sams Club today and a Wal-Mart, I noted signs prohibiting guns inside. Honestly I did not read every word on the signs as I was just "checking out" these things before carrying that much. There were two copies of the signs, side by side. One in English and one in Spanish. However, the lettering was much smaller than one inch. Not much larger than a half inch.I thought, from some sources that Wal-Mart is gun friendly. Now I'm not so sure. Anyone have any thoughts or know the facts concerning this merchant and carrying concealed while in the stores?

I have never seen a 30.06 sign in any WalMart in TX. What you probably saw was the TABC sign required for any business that sells alcohol.

"The unlicensed possession of a weapon on these premises is a felony......"

Since you have a CHL, you are licensed and the sign does not apply to you. Note that WalMart is required to post this sign by law.

I have never seen a 30.06 sign in any WalMart in TX. What you probably saw was the TABC sign required for any business that sells alcohol.

"The unlicensed possession of a weapon on these premises is a felony......"

Since you have a CHL, you are licensed and the sign does not apply to you. Note that WalMart is required to post this sign by law.

You know, after I got home and began to think about it, I wondered if the sign could be as you suggested. "unlicensed possession". I am going to have to check it out closer. As the lettering was on the smaller size and the sign was somewhat off to one side, I saw just enough of it to catch certain words as I passed it by. My wife, as usual, was walking her 90 mph, get in here quick so we can get what we need and don't get sidetracked pace so I didn't walk over to take a closer look. It's our regular Wal-Mart so we're there a lot but this was the first time I was there with my new CHL so now just starting to look for signs.

A woman must not depend on protection by men. A woman must learn to protect herself.
Susan B. Anthony
A armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one has to back it up with his life.
Robert Heinlein

We have two supercenters and a Sam's and they are not posted. They have a sign at the door that starts "The unlicensed ...".

Also it is my understanding that if the business posts their own "No Guns" sign and not a 30-06 sign it does not speak to someone carrying concealed with a CHL. If however the business sees you carrying concealed and they ask you to leave you must leave or you will be trespassing.

I think what you saw was the unliscensed carry =felony sign which to my knowledge every business selling alcohol must display... If it doesn't start with pursuant to 30.06 blah blah blah, it doesn't apply to a texas chl holder because you are licensed.

I was asked to leave a Walmart in Midlothian, Va off Hull street rd a number of years ago by an unarmed security guard. I was OC, and the young lady with me was OC as well. Ironically this location, as well as every location I have ever been to sells handgun, rifle and shotgun ammo as well as longarms.